Carrots. As with beets, new Spring carrots are sold with their tops on and when these tops are young and tender they are good, chopped like parsley, in salad or to garnish meat dishes. As a matter of fact, carrots and parsley belong to the same family. Young car- RABBIT FOOD I47 rots wilt quickly and shrivel down to nothing; so they should be bought fresh and bright in color and used within a day or two — the sooner, the tastier. Cauliflower. The creamy- white head is picturesquely called "curd" which it resembles. It must be clean and compact, for, as with broccoli, loose and spotted heads are too wasteful. Celery. Good celery has crispness and snap. It shouldn't be either small and runty or overgrown, for then the heart may be starting to go to seed. Everything pertaining to a bunch of celery should be used, except the string; the tougher outside and tops of stalks are fine for soups and the leaves when dried make as good seasoning as you can buy. And so do the roots, which usually are pared down too close, but always worth drying and powdering. Celeriac. This big celery root is a good buy and usually appears in the market in sound, acceptable condition. Chard, Swiss Chard. Should be as fresh and snappy as celery and the leaves not holed by bugs. There is no waste to chard and it's one of the most dependable vegetables we know. It should be cheap, because it grows like grass. The contrast between meaty white stalk and soft juicy greens makes an appetizing dish. Chicory, Endive, Romaine and Escarole. Crispness is the test for these fine salad plants brought to us by immigrants. They make an appetizing change from ordinary garden or head lettuce. CoLLARDS. This makes a good mess of greens with salt pork or corned beef. As with all greens, unwilted crispness is essential. Although collards are a kind of kale, they taste like cabbage, but not like "skunk cabbage" which is sometimes called collards, too. Corn. Sweet corn for biting right off the ear is chiefly divided into the yellow kinds, usually known as Golden Bantam, and the whites such as Country Gentleman. They should never be bought sight- unseen. The dealer should pull back the husk of each ear to show that there are no worms, and the kernels should be tested with the thumb-nail to make sure they are plumped out with milk. When corn is too young the kernels are too small and tasteless and when too old they're so tough only horses can chew them. Look out for big "field" or "horse" corn often dumped for "sweet" or "sugar" corn at the end of the season. 148 MOST-FOR-YOUR-MONEY COOK BOOK Cress. All cresses, garden, water and highland are fine peppery herbs when fresh, crisp and a good green in color. Swell in salads and for garnishing meat. They cost next to nothing. Cucumbers. Firm, fresh and bright in color, never yellowish or puffy. Dandelion Greens. The wild kind is stronger in taste, and likely to be tough, unless picked very young and always, of course, before blossoming. The cultivated kind is lighter in color from blanching, larger, more tender, and milder in taste, yet most eaters of the dandelion prefer the tangy call of the wild. Eggplant. Deep royal purple is the color and an eggplant must be heavy and elastically firm.

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Carrots. As with beets, new Spring carrots are sold with their tops on and when these tops are young and tender they are good, chopped like parsley, in salad or to garnish meat dishes. As a matter of fact, carrots and parsley belong to the same family. Young car- rots wilt quickly and shrivel down to nothing; so they should be bought fresh and bright in color and used within a day or two — the sooner, the tastier. Cauliflower. The creamy- white head is picturesquely called "curd" which it resembles. It must be clean and compact, for, as with broccoli, loose and spotted heads are too wasteful. Celery. Good celery has crispness and snap. It shouldn't be either small and runty or overgrown, for then the heart may be starting to go to seed. Everything pertaining to a bunch of celery should be used, except the string; the tougher outside and tops of stalks are fine for soups and the leaves when dried make as good seasoning as you can buy. And so do the roots, which usually are pared down too close, but always worth drying and powdering. Celeriac. This big celery root is a good buy and usually appears in the market in sound, acceptable condition. Chard, Swiss Chard. Should be as fresh and snappy as celery and the leaves not holed by bugs. There is no waste to chard and it's one of the most dependable vegetables we know. It should be cheap, because it grows like grass. The contrast between meaty white stalk and soft juicy greens makes an appetizing dish. Chicory, Endive, Romaine and Escarole. Crispness is the test for these fine salad plants brought to us by immigrants. They make an appetizing change from ordinary garden or head lettuce. CoLLARDS. This makes a good mess of greens with salt pork or corned beef. As with all greens, unwilted crispness is essential. Although collards are a kind of kale, they taste like cabbage, but not like "skunk cabbage" which is sometimes called collards, too. Corn. Sweet corn for biting right off the ear is chiefly divided into the yellow kinds, usually known as Golden Bantam, and the whites such as Country Gentleman. They should never be bought sightunseen. The dealer should pull back the husk of each ear to show that there are no worms, and the kernels should be tested with the thumb-nail to make sure they are plumped out with milk. When corn is too young the kernels are too small and tasteless and when too old they're so tough only horses can chew them. Look out for big "field" or "horse" corn often dumped for "sweet" or "sugar" corn at the end of the season. Cress. All cresses, garden, water and highland are fine peppery herbs when fresh, crisp and a good green in color. Swell in salads and for garnishing meat. They cost next to nothing. Cucumbers. Firm, fresh and bright in color, never yellowish or puffy. Dandelion Greens. The wild kind is stronger in taste, and likely to be tough, unless picked very young and always, of course, before blossoming. The cultivated kind is lighter in color from blanching, larger, more tender, and milder in taste, yet most eaters of the dandelion prefer the tangy call of the wild. Eggplant. Deep royal purple is the color and an eggplant must be heavy and elastically firm.

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